Peter Pratt at Stimulating Broadband, persuasively places current Administration efforts in the historical context of the New Deal with respect to making sure that rural areas are not excluded or sold short in new communications technologies. Via Stimulating Broadband (excerpt):
USDA Releases Broadband Guidelines: Strong Hints at NOFA Terms
In a short 2 page document issued internally to its field offices 3 days ago, on June 9, the Rural Utilities Service of the US Department of Agriculture (RUS) has given several important hints at the structure and substance of the all-important federal broadband funding guidelines expected by July 1.
Critically, in one key area of procedural information, the document contradicts officially stated public information from both RUS and the National Information and Telecommunications Administration (NTIA) previously reported here at StimulatingBroadband.com.
The document, released to this publication late in the day yesterday, June 11, by a federal employee in advance of its posting on the RUS website is available via our posting to our open access document site (Scribd .PDF).
In defining the “Strategy” of the $2.5 billion broadband program to be administered by RUS, the document states, “RUS will offer grants, direct loans and loan / grant combo.” This confirms verbal information received by StimulatingBroadband.com from a RUS representative within the past week that the agency is attempting to gain the greatest leverage possible via the combination of grants and loans to the same applicants, where possible.
Policy Points Affirmed
“We are now clearly seeing strong indications of what RUS will be setting down in its first NOFA, due out by the first of July,” commented our colleague Liz Zucco, President of rural telecom grant consultancy MarketSYS USA of Canton, Georgia. Ms. Zucco refers to the much anticipated Notice(s) of Funding Availability which will be promulgated by NTIA and RUS, reportedly prior to July 1.